


Peanuts, Smiles, And Other Things You Can Get At A Convenience Store

by myspaghet (saddendays)



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, Peanuts - Freeform, a lot of swearing, i can write more than 2k words!, kind of crack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-19
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-04-04 17:12:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14024868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saddendays/pseuds/myspaghet
Summary: Seungcheol buys snacks in hopes of actually pulling off an all nighter.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> for l, who buys me peanuts.

It was sort of an absolute truth that Seungcheol could never stay awake past 11 pm. There wasn’t a particular reason for it—Soonyoung, his friend since his toddler days, blames it on the fact that Seungcheol’s mother always put him to bed before eight in the evening. Now on his last year of high school, his mother trusts him enough to actually remove his bed time. It didn’t make much of a difference, however, since he still passes out before 10 pm even strikes.

 

If he were a normal, responsible student this wouldn’t be much of an issue. It was good that he was getting his eight hours of rest each night. It just sucks because he is not a normal, responsible student. He was the complete opposite of that, hectic schedules and an overload of projects occasionally causing his brain to shut down. The result of his early sleep time, terrible amount of stress, laziness, and weak willpower, is procrastination.

 

A lot of procrastination.

 

Mr. Kim, their physics teacher with a stick shoved up his ass, is so unreasonably strict with deadlines that one of the things written on junior Seungcheol’s wishlist was to not get him as a teacher. If a student submits homework past a day of the submission date, they could only pray to their gods that they pass physics class at the end of the year. Seungcheol was one of those people, except he passes his homework a week after the deadline. The look Mr. Kim gives him is either disappointment or an intense desire to shove the stick in his bum down his throat. He sometimes wonders if he’ll even graduate. Maybe he’ll just stay in high school until he’s an old, wrinkly fifty year old. Which is a fate a lot worse than death. What if Mr. Kim somehow doesn’t retire for all those thirty-something years of him being stuck in high school? He needs to graduate.

 

They’ve recently been given a task to write an essay. The topic? Seungcheol has no idea, because asides being lazy and unmotivated, he doesn’t like listening, too. All he knows is that his classmates, and even valedictorian best friend, Jihoon is stressing over it. Now, given that they actually had about three weeks to write the essay, Seungcheol should’ve just distributed the task evenly across those weeks. But he didn’t really expect much from himself, which is why instead of having three weeks to write it, he has three days. At least it was progress.

 

Having to stay in school for about nine hours a day, he doesn’t think he’d be able to finish the paper only given the time he has in between getting home and going to sleep. That’s why he isn’t going to sleep.

 

That’s right, Choi Seungcheol’s pulling an all nighter.

 

But with all great achievements, there needs to be preparation. Especially since he’s never actually known what it’s like to be awake past 11 pm (he’s never been awake long enough to see the New Year fireworks). That must be why he’s standing outside a Seven Eleven in the cold, cold winter; nothing to shield his poor, lanky body except his Rilakumma-printed pyjamas and worn out red scarf. Why is he even standing out there?

 

He pushes his almost frostbitten feet to the glass entrance, pushing it open tiredly. Immediately, he’s greeted by the blaring hum of the heaters, the unidentifiable smell of some sort of food being cooked, and the warmth of the interior thawing out the imaginary ice on his skin. He sighs in relief at the tingling sensation going from his back down to his legs and arms. He enters and lets the door close on its own, shivering lightly at the breeze the swing of the door makes.

 

It was 8 pm, and along with the fact that it was colder than normal, there wasn’t a lot of people. In fact, he was sure it was only him inside. It was good, because he doesn’t want to encounter any of his neighbours in the atrocity he was wearing. Somehow getting a burst of motivation, or just a fear of someone he knows entering, he gets to work, looking around for snacks to keep him up throughout the night. Jihoon always said that the best way to keep yourself awake at night was coffee, but that was only because Jihoon is boring. Seungcheol isn’t boring.

 

He yawns as he takes his time to choose the alluring Crunchy Cheddar Jalapeno™ Cheetos or the plain bag of gummy worms. Obviously the bag of chips was the better choice, but he would probably end up crying over the spiciness of the snack like the weak man he is instead of actually writing his essay. He grabs the gummy worms in defeat. He bids the Cheetos with a heartfelt goodbye and a promise to return.

 

With three bottles of cola, two packs of instant noodles, and his gummy worms nestled on his arms, he trudges to the empty counter and drops all his items on it. He waits for about three seconds before realizing that no one’s manning the counter. With a raised brow, he calls out,

 

“Anyone home?” No response. Maybe the worker was at the back? Or maybe this convenience store’s advertisements of being open 24 hours a day was a complete lie and his life was shattering before his very eyes. But that would mean that the entrance would be locked to poor outsiders like him. He guesses the first possibility was more likely. It doesn’t completely alleviate his fears, though.

 

He hears a blur of footsteps from the door a few feet away from the counter. It was either a murderer or employee, and he sincerely hopes it’s the latter. However, when the door finally opens and his goosebumps are so high they’re practically spikes, he doesn’t expect to see a model in an employee’s uniform exiting the storage room. Or maybe he’s just a very good looking employee.

 

The said employee held a large box, duct tape decorating it as if it were some Christmas wrapping on a budget. With neither of his hands available, he’s only able to look up and see Seungcheol with only one eye, wispy blond locks covering most of his other eye. His glasses seem to be falling off, too. As much as Seungcheol wants to both help him and ask for his hand in marriage, he could only watch because of the asshole counter stopping him from helping the guy.

 

The good looking employee mutters an apology before dropping the box on the side of the counter. Pushing his hair back, Seungcheol finally gets himself a full view of the other’s handsome face. Their very, very handsome face. He doesn’t even realize that he was staring until the worker breaks the silence. “So, tough night ahead?” he asks, glancing down at the array of food set at the counter. Seungcheol could only nod dumbly, lips parted and eyes wide.

 

The handsome cashier chuckles, slender fingers coming up to start scanning the items. “Damn, some people really do still put effort in school, huh?”

 

Seungcheol almost laughs at how inaccurate that was. He looks down, pressing his lips together in an attempt to pull himself together. He looks back up, eyes looking straight into the other’s. It was as romantic as a high school student in his Rilakumma pyjamas and Pororo slippers can get. “Funny thing is that I’m cramming an essay we had an entire month to do.”

 

Seungcheol’s actually astonished at the fact that, even without his glasses, he manages to catch sight of a smirk on the cashier’s lovely face.

 

“You’re just like my younger brother. They had a school play once and he couldn’t even memorize three lines because he was so lazy,” he chuckles. Seungcheol’s eyes trail down, hoping that maybe he’ll find a nametag. He does. ‘Hi, I’m Jeonghan!’ it says. “He managed to do it though with these bad boys.”

 

Suddenly, almost comically, Jeonghan raises up a pack of peanuts.

 

Seungcheol resists the urge to flat out say what the fuck to this entire situation. Jeonghan merely sniffles a laugh at the other’s reaction, looking at him as if he were some crackhead who happened to wander in the convenience store at eight in the evening. But maybe that really was Seungcheol right now. Maybe he took some cocaine without knowing it. Maybe it was in the air? That’s why the cashier was so unreasonably attractive, he isn’t real!

 

“I’m not crazy,” he isn’t sure if it’s him or the cashier talking. “It’ll help you, I swear. It’s for free, too.”

 

He isn’t sure if he took the peanuts because of Jeonghan’s beautiful, persuasive smile or because he’s gone insane.

 

 

 

 

He was scammed. Absolutely scammed.

 

Not only did he fall asleep, but it was because of the peanuts. Jihoon had been quick to point out that peanuts can induce sleep, and that’s when Seungcheol realized that the handsome cashier was too good to be true.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when Jihoon and Soonyoung question the cute cashier's existence—and most especially, his peanuts?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> explanation to why jeonghan was Weird + texting bc idk how to write out those conversations normally
> 
> p.s most of it was written on a bubble tea high at 3 am forgive the pacing as i am very bad at everything especially that

“Maybe you were actually high or something,” Soonyoung snorts, grabbing a piece of fry that fell out of the plastic wrapper onto the table. Jihoon scrunches up his face in disgust as he watches his friend plop it into his mouth. “I think you just fell asleep and dreamt up the whole thing, though.”

 

Seungcheol _knows_ he didn’t. “But there was a pack of peanuts sitting right on my table. It was literally the first thing I saw when I woke up.”

 

Dejected, he takes a sip of the energy drink he wasn’t able to enjoy the night before. It wasn’t that reasonable to eat it for lunch, really, but he was too peanut-depressed and stubborn to keep it in the fridge. Drinks don’t taste good after warming back down and putting them in the fridge again. At least that’s what his picky taste tells him.

 

Jihoon rolls his eyes. “Okay, okay, fine, it happened, but what didn’t happen was you starting your essay. If I were you, I’d love to at least barely pass physics.”

 

With a low voice, he chuckles _‘ho ho ho,’_ effectively shutting Jihoon up and traumatizing Soonyoung. “I actually _did_ start the essay. Like, the first three sentences.”

 

Jihoon opens his mouth, before Soonyoung presses a finger on it, causing the youngest of the table to turn beet red.

 

“I mean, at least it’s progress. Actually writing something three days before it’s due is better than not even knowing that there was an essay to begin with,” Seungcheol thanks Soonyoung in his mind. He just stopped Jihoon from whipping out one of his ‘Sicc Burnz’ as Soonyoung calls it. He would’ve never have done it though if they hadn’t had an agreement that he would give the younger money each time he does so.

 

He passes Soonyoung a dollar from under the table.

 

 

 

 

Seungcheol returns to the convenience a week after his first attempt of pulling an all nighter. But he isn’t here to reenact last week’s failure, thankfully. He’s here to prove to Jihoon and Soonyoung that Jeonghan wasn’t an excuse for falling asleep instead of writing his essay. When he snapped them a picture of those cursed peanuts, they laughed it off and said that he just bought them to prove a point. When he snaps them a picture of that handsome cashier they’ll believe him this time. He’s even here at eight in the evening again, except this time he’s actually wearing something normal. As normal as an EXO sweater and sweatpants can get.

 

This was the plan:

 

1.) Take something to look normal.

 

2.) Talk to the cashier to look normal. (Abort if cashier is not real.)

 

3.) Distract the cashier so he looks away, but _normally._

 

5.) Take picture.

 

4.) Send picture (refer to last step) to Soonyoung and Jihoon to prove that he did not hallucinate.

 

6.) Victory party.

 

He’s already in the process of the first step, grabbing whatever comes into sight. He was originally planning on coming back to his Crunchy Cheddar Jalapeno™ Cheetos, but was disheartened to see none left. He remembers catching a glimpse of another guy who exited just a moment ago, said flavour cradled in his arms as if it were his child. He should’ve known it was the last in stock.

 

He glances back at the empty Cheetos shelf with tears in his eyes before he makes his way to the counter, bubblegum and chocolates on one hand, phone on the other. He unlocks it and checks the list for the next step after talking to the cashier. Next, he should distract them. He also accidentally switched four and five. How could this happen to the winner of the Second Grade Math Quizbee?

 

He lets out a disheartened sigh as he places the sugar—items, on the counter. He opens Snapchat and shoves the phone in his sweater pocket. He needs to be ready. Looking up, he catches sight of a mop of blond, very obviously Jeonghan. Unless he dyed his hair. Oh my god, what if he did? What if he was just hallucinating that the blond cashier is hot and—

 

“You’re here again!” The cashier smiles, relief washed over his face as he stands up. Did he just get hotter from the last time he saw him? Must be because Seungcheol’s actually wearing his glasses. “Another all nighter? Do you pull one every Tuesday?”

 

Seungcheol is fidgety, a little freaked out from the overwhelming amount of social interaction and beauty shoved right into his face. He prepared for this, but he realizes that it definitely wasn’t enough. He nods stiffly, showing off the smile he uses whenever one of his uncles or aunties asks if he has a girlfriend already. Wait, no, he wasn’t supposed to nod—fuck.

 

“That’s nice,” Jeonghan comments half-heartedly, getting to scanning his items. “How was the essay?”

 

Seungcheol groans, eyes rolling back into its sockets. He used to have a weird fear of his eyeballs rolling back and never returning, but now he does it so often that he wouldn’t actually mind if his eyeballs stayed like that. “Barely finished. Submitted half an essay, but at least it was on the deadline.”

 

Jeonghan raises an eyebrow, smile amused. With skillful hands, he grabs a paper bag from under the counter without having to look down. “Twenty.”

 

Seungcheol grabs the money from his wallet, pushing it towards the cashier mindlessly, a little dazed from remembering the look of shock and incredulity on Mr. Stuck Up Kim Minseok’s face after receiving his paper. He’s never seen any other expression on his face asides disappointment, so this was an upgrade. Before he knows it, a paper bag, some coins, and his receipt sits right in front of him. 

 

“Oh, also,” Jeonghan bends down to grab something else from under the counter, giving Seungcheol a view of his back. That was a nice back.

 

He stands up straight again, tossing the familiar pack of peanuts at him. He somehow manages to catch it through his poor hand-eye coordination. Jeonghan grins at him before waving him goodbye.

 

It was when Seungcheol leaves that he realizes that he hasn’t taken a picture of Jeonghan, and that his phone lost ten percent of its charge just because he left Snapchat on for so long.

 

 

 

 

 

_CSCheol: So like i didn’t get the photo but heres another pack of peanuts that he gave me bc he exists_

 

_CSCheol: [sent a photo]_

 

_KwonSY: Maybe the cashier doesn’t exist and u just tried making up for it by buying another pack of peanuts lmaooo_

 

_CSCheol; Okay LISTEN UP WHAT ABOUT U PUSSIES COME WITH ME TO THE FUCKING STORE AND SEE FOR URSELF_

 

_Lee_Jihoon: Curfew_

 

_KwonSY: ^^_

 

_CSCheol: Don’t lie to me kwon soonyoung u don’t have a curfew_

 

_[KwonSY left the chat]_

 

 

 

 

 

 

It takes Seungcheol three more tries—or three more weeks, because he only returns every 8pm on Tuesday out of fear that Jeonghan doesn’t work at any other time than that—to finally give Jihoon and Soonyoung proof of the cute cashier’s existence. The last three tries were inevitable failures. The week after his first attempt, he tried to take a video of the cashier from the breast pocket of his flannel, which ended up with the phone angled at the cashier’s stomach. The week after that, he tried to pretend taking a selfie but is actually taking a picture of Jeonghan. The problem was that Seungcheol was actually too embarrassed to carry that out. Then, just last week, he gave up and just strapped a camera to his forehead. It got a few weird stares from some people and even the cashier (“Are you trying to vlog or something?”), and while Seungcheol thought it was worth it, it really wasn’t. Because when he got home he realized he never even turned the camera on.

 

He comes to the store with a sullen look on his face, knowing perfectly that if he fucks up one more time he’ll have not one, not two, not three peanut packets laying in his room, but _four_ —four and a half, specifically, because he hasn’t finished the first pack Jeonghan ever gave him. He sent his two friends a picture of all four and a half packets a few nights back, and the two just called him “too desperate just calm down already.”

 

No, he is not calming down.

 

He doesn’t even grab anything to buy anymore, since all the things he buys (and all of his money) just ends up with his older brother. He walks straight up to the counter, staring blankly at the emptiness behind it before realizing that the cashier wasn’t even there. He looks around awkwardly, catching sight of his red-haired neighbour with a mullet with chips and beer on his table, looking half dead and tired. He mumbles _same,_ before turning back to the empty counter.

 

It was like a repeat of the first time he saw him, except he’s sure he wasn’t on drugs.

 

With his blond hair falling freely onto his face, he leaves the stock room with a box littered with masking tape, the box bulging as if something were trying to come out of it. Seungcheol, once again, curses the counter for being the barrier between him and the cashier, preventing him from helping. But perhaps he can just jump over the counter and—no, wait, don’t do that.

 

Jeonghan looks up, glasses having fallen to halfway down his nose bridge, just like a grandfather. Except this grandfather was extremely good looking. He flashes him a small, bright smile before shuffling a little faster to drop the box onto the counter, just like the first time.

 

He stretches, shirt lifting slightly to show his milky white stomach, and wow, are those abs? Seungcheol doesn’t know if he should be astonished or envious. Jeonghan then pushes his hair and glasses back before settling his eyes on Seungcheol, smile wider than when he first exited.

 

“Hey,” he looks down, hand coming out instinctively. But then he pauses, no items to be seen. He cocks an eyebrow, looking up at the high school student with confusion written all over his face. “Did you just completely forget to get anything?”

 

“Look,” Seungcheol starts, and Jeonghan looks up at him, eyes a little wider and lips pursed into a thin line, ready to listen. “You’re very good looking and my friends don’t believe you actually exist and for the past four weeks I’ve been trying to get a picture of you to prove your existence and it failed every single time. Can I take a picture of you?”

 

That burst of confidence doesn’t last long, with Seungcheol reddening right after he ends his little outburst. He was about to open his mouth to apologize, but the cashier laughs, eyes crinkling prettily and pearly white teeth showing.

 

“Why not?” he calms down, instead settling on a soft, still amused smile. He sniffles a laugh before grabbing Seungcheol’s arm (Holy shit) and pulling him closer, close enough that Seungcheol can smell the cologne on him (Holy shit). “Let’s do it.”

 

Seungcheol almost drops his phone from how sweaty his palms are, not used to being so close to such an attractive person before. He tries his best to open the camera without appearing awkward, with his jittery fingers and all, and thankfully his phone is actually cooperating for once. It was as if it was an apology for betraying him three weeks ago.

 

It was a funny contrast, how Jeonghan’s smile was so relaxed and natural while Seungcheol looks like he’s having his third grade yearbook photo taken. 

 

It happens all too fast, and before Seungcheol knows it Jeonghan is throwing at him another pack of peanuts, to which he just accepts out of habit. He glances down on the colorful plastic encasing the peanuts as he debates whether to never come back again after embarrassing himself for five weeks in a row.

 

As he walks out of the store, his drunken neighbour calls out to him. Seungcheol turns around, a polite smile on his face, albeit a little stiff out of fear of whatever his neighbour would do. 

 

“Would you mind passing me some of those peanuts, dude? Heard it’s hangover food and I’m get _wasted_ tonight.”

 

“No.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_CSCheol: He exists!!!!! Fuck ya’ll!!!!!!!!!!!!_

 

_CSCheol: [sent a photo]_

 

_Lee_Jihoon: Oh wow_

 

_KwonSY: So does that mean u’ll stop buying peanuts as a sad attempt to prove he exists_

 

_CSCheol: He just gives it to me!! Every time!!!!! I do nOT buy those peanuts u fools!!_

 

_KwonSY: Why does he give u peanuts tho thats kinda weird_

 

_Lee_Jihoon: That’s true_

 

_CSCheol: Should i ask_

 

_CSCheol: Wait no_

 

_CSCheol: Nevermind_

 

_CSCheol: Not asking_

 

_CSCheol: Never going back there again_

 

_CSCheol: So WHAT if he gives me peanuts randomly every week that’s up to him its not killing me or anything_

 

_CSCheol: Right_

 

_CSCheol: Hahahahahaahahahahahahahaha_

 

_CSCheol: Ha_

 

_[Lee_Jihoon removed CSCheol from the chat]_

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Excuse me?” 

 

Seungcheol looks up from the table, away from his friends to see a boy with a soft smile on his face. Sort of like the human incarnation of the ‘:3’ emoticon. “Where did you get those peanuts?”

 

Seungcheol looks back down at the pack of peanuts in his hands, half empty from him eating it instead of actually buying lunch, feeling bad for just keeping Jeonghan’s peanuts each and every time. He’s a little confused, wondering why the boy would ask about where he got a pack of peanuts when he really could just buy a pack of them in almost any store. Then he notices, at the bottom, written with a marker the word _‘Jeonghannie’._

 

He doesn’t realize he’s staying quiet until the emoticon boy starts speaking again. “Because it has my best friend’s name written down there and I’m just wondering if he gave it to you or anything,” he laughs awkwardly, a stiff smile on his face. His eyes were another story, however, a little darkened and narrowed, as if he were annoyed by something.

 

_Oh._

 

“Cashier from Seven Eleven gave them,” Soonyoung answers for him, playful smile on his lips as his head rests on his palms, looking directly at :3 boy. Seungcheol looks at his saviour with adoration in his eyes, and Jihoon sniffles a laugh from how sad and desperate he looks. “For five weeks in a row.”

 

“Oh,” the boy smiles, teeth showing and eyes crinkling along with it, previous annoyance somehow washed away. “I see, thank you.”

 

He bows down politely before leaving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_JIsoo: Hey fucker those peanuts were expensive and you’re just giving them away like that?? My mothers poor money_

 

_Jeonghan: LISTEN you KNOW i can’t eat them but i’m too nice to reject mrs. hong’s offers_

 

_Jeonghan: If ur so mad about it why can’t you just tell your mom about my disgust in any sort of legume instead of bullying me like this :’(_

 

_Jisoo: Do u think she’d want to hear me say ‘sorry mom u can’t give jeonghan any more peanuts he hates them lol’_

 

_Jeonghan: THEN WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THEM?_

 

_Jisoo: EAT THEM?? LEARN TO LOVE THEM?????_

 

_Jeonghan: N-no_

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On a whim, Seungcheol returns to the store with three questions in mind.

 

Frankly, the entire emoticon boy situation was actually just an excuse to suck up his embarrassment and go back to the convenience store. He can ask about why Jeonghan’s always giving him peanuts, about the emoticon boy, _and_ hopefully if they can go on a date because—no, nevermind. Just the first two will do.

 

Just like last week, he enters without a plan on buying anything. He glances back at the tables, wondering if his drunken neighbour would be there again, and to his surprise, he is. This time he’s sporting a sort of touristy look with a flower patterned shirt and cargo shorts, but still with the red mullet on his head. He’s nursing a can of beer in one hand, while in the other he uses to scroll through his phone. He doesn’t pay Seungcheol mind, and he’s relieved.

 

He walks straight to the counter, but the more he walks the less confident his stance is, memories of the last week coming to his mind. He hears the faint echo of ‘ _You’re very good looking and—‘_ he shudders at the memory. By the time he reaches the familiar counter, his back is slumped and his face is glum, a faint, odd sensation in his stomach as he watches as the Jeonghan looks up from his phone, a polite, practiced smile on his face. It turns into a more natural one, just like in their selfie together (Seungcheol made it his wallpaper).

 

“Hey—“ he pauses, voice trailing off in realization of something. 

 

“I just realized you never told me your name,” he chuckles. “After five weeks of handing you peanuts, too.”

 

Seungcheol’s eyes widen slightly as well at the realization, before he returns the small laugh and averts his eyes from the cashier. “Seungcheol.”

 

“Hey Seungcheol,” Jeonghan repeats, before pulling on the nametag on his chest. “You already know my name, right?”

 

He nods.

 

“Anyway,” the cashier glances down, and seeing no items on the counter, he looks back up, a coy smile on his face. “Are you going to ask for another picture, Cheol?”

 

Seungcheol laughs awkwardly, before shaking his head and looking back at the cashier, trying his best to smile against all the war flashbacks of the past five weeks playing in his head simultaneously. Jeonghan then looks at him with anticipation in his eyes, wondering what he’s planning on doing.

 

“I’m here to ask about, um,” he purses his lips, realizing that he didn’t bring a pack of peanuts with him for effect—that he didn’t _prepare._ “The peanuts.”

 

“The peanuts?”

 

“You know,” he gestures awkwardly, hands and fingers doing random movements as if it were trying to aid his point. “Why you give them to me like, every week? Because someone—who sort of looks this,” he tries to copy the :3 smile from memory, but is pretty sure he failed after Jeonghan looks at him weirdly. “—went up to me last week saying that he was your best friend and he asked about the peanuts and I only realized at that very moment that your name was written on the pack of peanuts and now I’m wondering why they always end up with me, and, uh, yeah.”

 

Jeonghan smiles at him again, the entire situation clicking in his head. He pauses to collect his thoughts, making up his explanation in his head.

 

“Well,” he starts. “My best friend’s mom gives it to me every week after our families have our weekly dinner together. Lady doesn’t know I hate legumes with all my heart and soul,” he mirrors the amused smile Seungcheol gives him.

 

“But I never refuse it, since she’s so eager to give it to me. I felt bad for letting those peanuts waste away, so I bring it here to see if I can offer it to anyone. You were the perfect victim,” Seungcheol narrows his eyes at him, remembering how he was scammed the first time they met. Jeonghan gives him an apologetic smile. “But then it just became a habit to give it to you every week.”

 

The gears in Seungcheol’s head finish turning as he absorbs the situation, a soft smile coming to his face, a little amused, but mostly calm. 

 

“Are you mad?” Jeonghan asks, biting his lip in worry. Seungcheol shakes his head almost immediately, not wanting him to think like that. Jeonghan lightens up. “That’s good. But you know,”

 

Seungcheol looks at him in confusion, having thought that the entire fiasco was over. He leans in, wondering what the cashier has to say.

 

“I think I should repay you for all of this, well, until today,” he smiles a little brighter, as if he just had the most amazing idea. Seungcheol was about to say that it was nothing, that the peanuts tasted good, that it was _fine,_ but Jeonghan cuts him off before he can even say anything.

 

“Let’s go on a date, my treat,” he winks, and Seungcheol feels like he’s becoming some sort of human-tomato hybrid. “No peanuts this time.”

 

Listening closely, Seungcheol hears his neighbour clapping from the back of the store, yelling, “Get laid, dude!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading this mess.
> 
> things i wasn't able to add:  
> \- jeonghan is the same age as seungcheol but he graduated early and is taking a break year, and is taking the night shift out of boredom  
> \- drunk neighbour/cheetos guy is byun baekhyun  
> \- multiple mentions of cheetos is a reference to a fic i read that inspired me to make this

**Author's Note:**

> this is labelled as complete because it can really, really be read as some sort of crack fic. for a more logical explanation for what the hell just happened, i'll update this in a while. a week or two maybe.


End file.
